Approximately 750 HHS staff members petition RFK Jr., urging him to cease disseminating false information
In the aftermath of the shooting at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a group of employees have penned a letter demanding that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cease the spread of misinformation.
According to the letter, Kennedy's "dangerous and deceitful statements and actions" have contributed to the harassment and violence experienced by CDC employees. The employees point to Kennedy's posts and statements, such as referring to the CDC as a "cesspool of corruption" and falsely claiming that mRNA vaccines "failed to protect effectively" against COVID-19 and the flu.
The shooting on Aug. 8 was linked to "politicized rhetoric" by the employees, who believe Kennedy's actions have endangered not only their lives but also public health. Over 750 employees across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have accused Kennedy of spreading misinformation.
The gunman, who carried out the attack, had yearslong grievances with the COVID-19 vaccine. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation found written documents at his home indicating he wanted to make his discontent with the vaccine known. It is reported that the gunman believed he suffered negative health effects after getting the vaccine.
Dr. Shiv Prasad, a scientific review officer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has written a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing concerns about the misinformation being spread, particularly concerning vaccines and COVID-19. Prasad, in his personal capacity and not on behalf of NIH or HHS, expressed his concern about the safety of HHS workers and potential targeting.
Prasad also expressed his concerns about Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of NIH, and his recent decision to cancel $500 million in federal funding for mRNA vaccine development. Prasad wants Bhattacharya to consider the effect of his words and potential impact on NIH staff, as his comments about the origins of COVID-19 and recent move away from mRNA vaccine technology are not accepted by the scientific community and could be misinformation.
The letter calls on Kennedy to stop spreading inaccurate health information, affirm the scientific integrity of the CDC, and guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce by Sept. 2. The letter was contributed to by Cheyenne Haslett.
Kennedy has peddled vaccine skepticism throughout his career, and this is not the first time he has been accused of spreading misinformation. The letter demanding that Kennedy be urged to stop the spread of misinformation was written by hundreds of CDC employees who accuse him of endangering public health with misinformation about vaccinations.
